


Thunderstorm

by mymusicalbox



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Gift Fic, M/M, Mentions of Pedophilia, Rated T for language, Storms, let my boys be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 00:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17355152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mymusicalbox/pseuds/mymusicalbox
Summary: Ash started noticing a pattern in his life that would often repeat itself: every time that something bad was about to happen, the sky would darken and a storm came. It had been like that since that mournful night of Halloween and that ill-fated day in Cape Cod. It happened too the last night they spent at Cape Cod, the night of Shorter’s death and the night he confessed Eiji how he felt about himself and had a breakdown in front of him.





	Thunderstorm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Niebla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niebla/gifts).



“Are you sure about going trick or treating tonight?” Aslan asked. The blonde wasn’t entirely satisfied with the idea that his friends had had (he was prepared for the occasion anyway despite feeling a little bit doubtful, wearing a big pumpkin mask and a white sheet on to look like a ghost.)

 

Yes, it was Halloween, but the weather didn’t look inviting and his older brother had always warned him that when rain and thunderstorms threatened to come, the best that could be done waas staying home. It was better not to risk oneself unnecessarily. Aslan was going to be home alone, though, because Griffin was at the workshop and it looked like he wasn’t going to come back until 10 at night. There were times in which his brother would return home late and Aslan felt lonely, but he knew that Griffin was going to come back. He always came back and gave him a hug, then they talked for a while and the older would tell him stories and tales before going to sleep.

 

“Of course! It’s Halloween tonight, it’s the best time of the year for trick or treating!” Wendy exclaimed -one of his friends, the boldest person he knew. Wendy was one of those people that would often butt heads with everyone and that more often than not, put her nose into other people’s businesses. In plenty of occasions, the gang was going to meet to play around the town but the plan had to be postponed because Wendy was grounded for having said or done something inappropriate. At least, Aslan was relieved because his friend hadn’t suggested going some place abandoned to look for ghosts.

 

Aslan didn’t know to what extent he should follow Wendy and his other two friends, but Griffin wasn’t home and even though Jennifer was really kind -she had always been- and that she’d surely serve him a delicious dish of his favorite food, there was something in the way; his father. He didn’t want to see him. Aslan didn’t trust him. He had heard him scolding Griffin more than once and he didn’t want that to happen; he despised witnessing someone treating his brother badly. Anyway, he decided that he’d rather follow his friends in their nightly excursion than being home alone. At the end of the day and in spite of the predictions of the women in town (they said there was going to be a storm that night, and the black, menacing clouds weren’t inviting to think otherwise), there wasn’t raining at the moment.

 

The gang was formed by Wendy, Jack, Mary and Aslan himself. They were walking all around Cape Cod, their hometown, which was threatened by heavy rain -not that Aslan’s friends minded- in search of candy. Generally, people would gladly open the door of their houses for them and abide to their requests. In that town, everyone knew everyone and Aslan was such a good boy that everyone, mostly the town’s women, loved him and held him dearly. On the other hand, though, there was some people that didn’t even open the door. There had always been that kind of people, too, they were more reserved and weren’t as welcoming as the local shops’ owners.

 

After a while, it was almost 10 at night and Aslan had a _great_ idea (he would lately regret it, though) of hiding in the small woods near his house to scare his brother when he left the workshop. He then timidly said goodbye to his friends and took his leave, going to the forest. Once he got there, he hid behind a tree and waited patiently.

 

Anyone would feel afraid in that situation, but not Aslan, he was a brave boy and one of his baseball coach’s favorites. He really admired a respected this man with his whole heart. It was starting to rain, and in the quiet scenario on the forest some noises could be heard; some birds tweeting and flying, the leaves being moved and swayed by the ever growing wind. It was indeed an eerie situation and Aslan was starting to feel uneasy.

 

Suddenly, Aslan shuddered; he felt something creeping upon his back; he had gotten caught on a tree branch, and that was the breaking point. He was starting to feel afraid. Maybe he shouldn’t have left the group? What if Griffin got angry at him? No, no. Ten o clock must be close. He just had to wait patiently. Nothing was going to happen, everything was alright.

 

And he did wait calmly until the first thunder struck in the distance and the rain started soaking the floor, splashing his feet with mud. Thunder and lighting were coming closer and closer and their intensity was growing; Aslan was soaking wet and shivering because of the cold. The boy couldn’t hold it in anymore; he turned around and saw what it looked like a giant pumpkin staggering his way. And then he started crying and left the place in a rush. He luckily found his brother in his way home (which he had set out intuitively). Nothing went wrong that night. Griffin just combed his brother’s hair with his hand, put himself at his height and gave him a kiss in the forehead while whispering that everything was okay.

 

But little did Aslan know about the disgraces looming over him such as those menacing clouds.

 

Aslan kept shivering. He definitely didn’t like storms. They made him uncomfortable.

 

He started hating them with his very being that il-omended day in which his baseball coach forcefully took him to his house and didn’t let him escape until the man had satisfied his lascivious and selfish desires. That day, thunders sounded and felt worse than ever. The lightning reflected all the fears and all the panic that Aslan had inside him.

 

That was the _worst_ experience of his life, but it wasn’t going to be the last one.

 

* * *

 

Ash hated a few things, it was normal to do so in his world, he didn’t like almost anything, but above everything else, he detested ruthless killers who murdered innocent people, strident noises, pumpkins and darkness. Dark things in general.

 

That’s what he had believed during his whole life until he met Eiji Okumura, a Japanese boy with jet black eyes and dark hair who gave off naiveté and innocence, something not recomendable at all in Ash’s world. However, Ash felt something indescriptible awaken when his jade green eyes came into contact with the other boy’s black ones.

 

That day, the boy entered the bar where Ash’s gang used to meet, accompanied by a photographer who was in charge of a report about them (it was a kind of favour that they’d do him because he was Charlie’s friend, and Ash also took benefits from that because their gang would be left alone for a while). It could be said that that boy wasn’t someone that would stand out, he was a simple boy who was there to assist his boss. But there was something in him that ignited something in Ash, that made him focus his entire self in the dark-haired, and the second that they locke gazes on each other, Ash felt that this boy called Eiji wouldn’t be just a temporary figure in his life like everyone, or almost everyone was.

 

At that point of his life, Ash didn’t believe in things such as permanency, but there was something weird and _magical_ about the way that guy approached Ash, knowing perfectly what he was getting himself into, and asked him if he could hold his gun. That lit a spark in Ash’s insides that wouldn’t fade away for a long, long time. At first, Ash thought that he would only see Eiji that day; that the Japanese would only be there for a few pictures (not of Ash’s face, he made clear that his face wouldn’t appear in any of them. He hated the way those degenerates would do horrible things to him with that camera. Just thinking of it made Ash want to throw up). However, when he recieved a call from Shorter warning him about Arthur’s intentions, everything became messed up.

 

Skip grabbed Eiji’s hand strongly and took him straight to the secret passageway. Great mistake. They had fallenin the enemy’s trap and that would brim them fatal consequences.

 

Shit. Now he would have to save a stranger? Ash thought. Nevertheless, he didn’t falter and followed Skip and Eiji. Deep inside his heart, Ash knew he didn’t regret doing it. And that he would’nt.

 

That day and for the first time in a long while, Ash witnessed something he even forgot that existed; flying. He saw Eiji being swayed by the wind like a feather, freely, without anywhere to go, without being bound t a cruel and miserable life like his own.

 

That day, Ash Lynx could see that there was still some life in his dark, dark life.

 

That day, Ash Lynx knew that Eiji Okumura was special.

 

 

* * *

 

Life at prison was as dull as life on the streets. He’d encounter the same, at the end of the day; people wanting to take advantage of him. Ah was tired of being holed up there; he didn’t expect the law to protect him -for he had ignored it his whole life- but he did believe in what was fair and what it wasn’t, and that wasn’t far at all. Ash hadn’t kille Marvin.

 

Besides, he was fed up with Max Lobo, his inmate, who tried to be his best-friend of some sorts. He just wanted to get the hell out of there. He needed a plan and he needed it as soon as possible; and that plan could only be useful if he let himself be used by Garvey and his lackeys.

When he finally ended up in the hospital (unfortunately enough, that was the only way out. He had to make sure that those assholes -Dino’s followers- didn’t put their dirty hands on that little jar with white powder that Steven thompson game him) he saved the capsule for putting it the note inside it later. Now he just had to wait until he could see Eiji.

 

The following day finally came and with it, the long-awaited visit hours; Ash didn’t hesitate and started his plan. He had to move with agility and stop waiting. In his chest, his heart was beating with strength, as if it was going to leave it. Anticipation coursed through his veins and anxiety filled his body. He knew he was going to steal Eiji’s first kiss, and he felt partly sorry and partly… proud? but it was not as if he had any other option.

 

Ash’s heart started beating stronger when Eiji entered the room and his black eyes widened when he saw him; time seemed to stop when Eiji told the American that he was glad to see him and to make sure that he was alright, that everything was okay, that he would make it out of jail alive. That was when Ash thought he had to start acting. After a few minutes of chatter with Ibe-san and the other, Ash put an arm behind Eiji’s neck (maybe he shouldn’t enjoy the closeness with Eiji as much as he was enjoying it, but fuck it).

 

 

“Thanks for coming to see me, Eiji.” Ash said as he got up from his seat and brought Eiji to the exit.

 

_Now._

 

“Come alone next time, okay?” Ash said with the softest voice he could muster, and that was partly, _and just partly_ intentional.

 

And that was when he did it. He slid his hands through Eiji’s reddish cheeks, caressing every inch of his skin with his fingertips, enjoying the moment way too much until, slowly, he closed the distance between Eiji and himself. Their lips touched an Ash felt fireworks go off behind his head, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t particularly mind the noise, he just focused on cautiously moving his lips against Eiji’s and then he licked the seam of the Japanese’s lips before Eiji parted them. He successfully put the pill in Eiji’s mouth and then they separated, not before Ash giving Eiji a determined gaze, which the other seemed to answer.

 

Ash was mesmerized. He couldn’t have enjoyed it that much, he felt so confused. Eiji’s lips were too soft, his tongue too, Eiji’s shyness was too adorable; everything was too much for him, everything had been too much since the day he saw Eiji flying, so he decided to play off his amazement with a playful squeeze to Eiji’s ass. He wasn’t allowed to show the smallest sign of nervousness. It wasn’t a moment to back off, so with that indescriptible warmness in his chest, Ash left.

 

* * *

 

The day he met Eiji, Ash had the feeling that they would be together for a long time -which hurt him a little bit because everyone who stayed with him ended up hurt in the end-. Well, turns out he was right, quite a lot of time had passed since the first time they met and they were still together. _Together._

 

Eiji hadn’t left his life. Eiji had seen in which kind of world Ash live and what kind of things he could do and had decided to stay with him, he even went to Cape Cop with him, Shorter, Max and the other to look for Griffin’s documents.

 

Ash remembers Eiji’s shameful demeanor and attitude then he told him that he couldn’t accomplish his mission, and he also remembers hoe the boy was as determined as to look for alternative and look for Doctor Meredith himself.

 

Eiji was gaining Ash’s trust spending days with him and with everything he did, but he knew that that had to end soon. He had to go to Japan soon and their paths should never cross again. He had been thinking about that when they arrived to Cape Cod, after he had to -sadly- talk to Jim fucking Callenreese.

 

When night came, Ash lay down with his blanket as he listened to the rain fall, and in a few minutes, he fell into deep sleep. He dreamt about Halloween night, about the day that the baseball coach abused himm and he suddenly was alone in the middle of a thunderstorm, and there wasn’t anyone near him.

 

He was like in the middle of some thick, thick fog; he screamed and shouted but no one answered, he moved through the rain and lighting looking for anything to grab onto until…

 

Eiji?

 

He thought he saw Eiji’s figure at the porch of his house in Cape Cop; he looked like an angel, like something unreachable, but he still reached his hand to clasp Eiji’s.

 

But he didn’t reach. They couldn’t touch.

 

_They never could._

 

“Eiji!” Ash shouted, waking up all of a sudden. It looked like he hadn’t waken anyone up, so he decided to go out at the porch to breathe a little bit; he needed to be alone.

 

Ash proceeded with caution, he didn’t want to wake Shorter up accidentally (the fucked had bad temper when he woke up) and went to the porch.

 

And then he saw him, his back facing Ash, illuminated by the lighting. He looked ethereal, unreachable, as he was in the dream. But that time he was _truly_ there, and Ash was thankful for it from the bottom of his heart. The blond tooka few steps and positioned himself by his side, Eiji turned his head and saw him.

 

“Oh, Ash. Can’t sleep?” Eiji softly Asked.

 

“Not exactly.” The American answered.

 

“Your forehead looks sweaty. Have you had a nightmare?”

 

 _Score._ Eiji had nailed it.

 

“You could say I did.”

 

“It’s okay, Ash, it was only a dream.” Eiji said as he rubbed his haind in Ash’s shouldder for a few seconds, though he later retired it as if he had been burn. “Do you want to be alone?” He asked.

 

“No!” Ash exclaimed. “It’s not that.” He turned his head with a surprised expression. “Don’t leave.” Ash whispered.

 

“Okay, okay.” Eiji chuckled, and Ash started calming down. “I’m not going anywhere, Ash.”

 

Something in the way he said his name was like a blanket of warmth that surrounded Ash. Eiji himself was the embodiment of softness and delicacy; for the first time in his life, Ash had something like that, and it was the best feeling in the world. But he was afraid.

 

“I’m afraid of storms. Have been since I was a kid. I’ve had a nightmare about one and when I woke up, I heard thunders in the distance, and I’ve panicked.” Ash confessed without explaining himself further; he didn’t tell Eiji the whole story, but he couldn’t lie either. Not to him.

 

“I see. Then I understand why you’ve woken up so jumpy.” Eiji’s hand was on Ash’s shoulder again, and even though the former didn’t enjoy intimacy and rejected physical contact, he didn’t complain. He didn’t have a reason to.

 

“I guess. And what are you doing here?” Ash asked, curious.

 

“I couldn’t sleep. I had a lot to think about, mostly after that conversation we had this afternoon.” Eiji confessed, his voice sounded kinda sad.

 

His expression looked gloomy, and it didn’t look good on him, Ash thought. And it was all because of him. The blond thought that after having drunk his regrets away they would have left along with the alcohol coursing through his veins, but it looked otherwise. There they were.

 

“Eiji… I…”

 

“Shhh. It’s okay.” Eiji reassured.

 

At some moment of the conversation, Eiji’s hand had followed its wat and had clasped Ash’s. Eiji’s hand was soft and smaller than his own, it wasn’t calloused for holding a gun and his fingers weren’t as agile and long as their own, but still, it was lovely and warm, he loved it. Ash squeezed and immediately felt his warmth.

 

That night, Ash and Eiji stayed together in silence, communicating via hand squeezes every time a thunder broke their silence and a lightning bolt lit the tempestuous and stirred up sky of Cape Cod.

 

Ash woke up at the break of dawn and realized (not only for his growing neck ache) that he had fallen asleep in Eiji’s shoulder. A little bit ashamed, he moved aside and woke his companion up, who, flustered and red to the tip of his ears, stood up suddenly and left quickly to woke the others up, since they had stuff to take care of.

 

Ash hadn’t slept that well _for ages._

 

* * *

 

Ash started noticing a pattern in his life that would often repeat itself: every time that something bad was about to happen, the sky would darken and a storm came. It had been like that since that mournful night of Halloween and that ill-fated day in Cape Cod. It happened too the last night they spent at Cape Cod, the night of Shorter’s death and the night he confessed Eiji how he felt about himself and had a breakdown in front of him.

 

But those last days and nights, Eiji had always been there to grasp his hand and make sure that everything was alright.

 

But Ash was afraid of another storm coming and Eiji not being there to calm him. He had come to get used to having him way to close. Maybe Blanca was right and he just selfishly wanted Eiji to assuage his feelings of loneliness.

 

Eiji, on the contrary, had other things to say about the matter. For Eiji, protecting Ash was his number one priority He wanted to protect him of pumpkins, of storms -as long as Ash protected him from moths-

 

but, above all, he wanted to protect him _from himself._

 

That’s what it said on Eiji’s letter, Eiji’s last words to Ash before returning to Japan.

 

That day on december there wasn’t a storm, it was snowing, and Ash felt the cold running through his bones while he slid through the snow to reach the airport. As he was running, he thought he saw Sing hitting Lao in an alley, but honestly, he gave a flying fuck. He had other things to worry about.

 

When he arrived at the airport, Eiji wasn’t there. But it didn’t matter. they would meet each other again soon.

 

It was about time that Ash let himself be loved.

 

* * *

 

“Another storm?” Ash ironically asked as he pulled his t-shirt off. “Izumo just knows this kind of weather or what?”

 

“It’s June, which means monsoon, which means more rain and more storms.” Eiji clicked his tongue at Ash. “I thought you’d maybe read it in one of those books about Japan you read at the library.

 

 

Fuck! So Eiji observed him while he was in the library. Damn it… They had been together in Japan since february, and despite all those months they spent together, Ash still couldn’t believe that Eiji was his boyfriend, That Eiji was with him, _safe, alive, and far from any danger._ That Ash himself was alive. That it wasn’t temporary that Death hasn’t chasing him anymore.

 

For Ash, the most important thing in the world was Eiji’s safety. And the world seemed to listen to him for once, for they didn’t leave in separate worlds anymore. Eiji was right. Their souls would always be together.

 

_They would always be together. Forever._

 

“Shut up and come here.” Ash let go as he patted the space besides him in the bed. He was seated in Eiji’s bed and it was time to sleep already.

 

“You think I’m going to listen to some brat?” Eiji snapped.

 

“Come on, Big Bro, you really don’t want me to open the window so a moth makes it in.” Ash raised an eyebrow, he knew Eiji really well.

 

Eiji crossed his room and sat by Ash’s side.

 

“The only thing that’s gonna make it in if I open the window is water. Let me remind you that it’s raining.” Eiji answered while playfully hitting Ash’s shoulder.

 

“Okay, seriously. Are we gonna sleep? I don’t want you to tremble because of the storm.”

 

And then no one said a thing, the room turned completely silent. Ash looked away from Eiji.

 

 

“I-I’m sorry! Forgive me, Ash, I know you’re afraid of storms because… I didn’t want to…”

 

“Eiji, It’s okay. Thanks to you I’m… getting over it.” Ash said trying to calm his boyfriend, he didn’t want to bother him.. He hated that Eiji could feel bad about something. There were times in which they had this kind of misunderstandings, in other occasions, their make out sessions escalated quickly and they turned more heated than expected, which ended in a line that Ash wasn’t ready to cross just yet, but Eiji was always gentle and knew what to do when he was about to panic, and just as Eiji knew, Ash also knew how to calm Eiji. He was always there for him.

 

“But it has been horrible, I shouldn’t have said it, I don’t want to say anything to bother you, Ash. You know you’re the most important thing for me. And that you’re always gonna be.” Eiji stated. Ash’s heart skipped a beat.

 

“Eiji…”

 

“Ash. I said the truth when I told you that I’d always be with you and I said the truth now, too.” Eiji said as his hand crossed the bed and clasped Ash’s. They now were looking at each other closely.

 

“Eiji, you know? when I’m with you I feel that I can be a good person.” Ash confessed with all the love he could fit into a sentence. Because that’s what he felt for Eiji.

 

Love.

 

“Ash, you’ve always been. Your fear don’t define you.” Eiji said as he came close to Ash.

  
“You’re wonderful, Eiji.” Ash said. He truly believed it. He had always believed.

 

“Not at all. I’m unremarkable.”

  
“Never said that about yourself.” Ash said in a serious demeanor.

 

“Then you never tell me again that you want to be something you already are.”

 

“What if we stop talking?” Ash sweetly asked. His hands travelled upwards until they found Eiji’a face.

 

Eiji nodded his face and their lips joined. Ash had been kissing Eiji for months and he was still getting used to the feeling of having his boyfriend that close; his lips moved in synch and the storm was forgotten when their tongues entwined and the only thing that Ash could hear was Eiji’s soft sighs against his mouth when his tongue traced the roof of his mouth and then his teeth. They parted and let out a few sighs, being very, very close. A few “I love you” slipped in,

 

 

After that they moved and went inside Eiji’s bed, it was small and the space was cramped, but they always slept there, mostly the stormy nights in which Ash would come closer to Eiji than ever, with the Japanese hugging his back and resting his weights on him.

 

Ash thought for a moment before falling into deep slumber. He had still yet to get over his fear for storms, but when he was with Eiji and he started to tremble if only just a little, his warm hands caressing his back always made them stop.

 

And in a moment of lucidity, Ash reached a conclusion:

 

There wasn’t a storm able to darken up his life as long as he had his own personal sun: Eiji Okumura.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! sorry, I haven't posted anything in a while ;; I was out for holidays, but I wrote a fic in Spanish for a dear friend and then I thought about translating it so I could share it here. I'm really proud of this fic so please read it and tell me how you feel about it! I'm also really hyped for the valentines exchange, I signed up for the event this time hehe 
> 
> Also as I said before, this work was originally written in Spanish, it's 2AM here in Spain and I've ended the translation in a rush, I'll beta the work tomorrow, please forgive me for the mistakes and typos ;;
> 
> comments and kudos are much appreciated! <3
> 
> you can talk to me via tumblr @weakening hope or via Twitter @Shirotxpoison


End file.
